Fearless
by Spanish Sunrise
Summary: "You're not capable of love." She whispered. He chuckled darkly."No, but I'm capable of murder." Her bottom lip trembled under his thumb, her tears spilling onto his gloved hand as it gripped her throat. Based on the story Beauty and the Beast. David/OC
1. Exchanging Lives

**Please let me know if I should continue. Please review.**

Zeta laughed as her little brother Zack made his famous fish-face, blowing out his cheeks, crossing his eyes, and sticking out his tongue. He looked charmingly ridiculous. Zack grinned a gap-tooth smile in triumph that he was able to make her smile. Zeta and Zack were a Christian, church-going, regular American family, and had come to spend the summer vacationing in Santa Carla.

Since it was only six P.M. their parents had suggested that Zeta take her brother to the boardwalk, see the sights and tell them what it's like. Zeta had bought her ten-year-old brother a big bag of cotton candy, he polished that off, and was now on his second caramel coated apple. The boy could _eat_."Zeta! Look!" He yelled, pointing excitedly at the bright lights of a spinning carousel several yards away from them.

Zeta smiled."You wanna go?"

"Heck ya!" He shouted, sprinting towards the colorful ride.

Zeta ran after him, afraid to loose him in the crowd. Her parents trusted her, and she had put a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. She would never forgive herself if something happened"Zack! Wait!"

The boy wasn't listening, he was already climbing on a big brown pony. The crowd blocked her view of him. She bit her lip, frantically trying to get there. When her path cleared again, she was disappointed to be separated long enough for Zack to strike up a conversation with a random stranger. She knew she was just being paranoid, but she didn't like how this tall, bleach-blonde stranger was looking at her little brother...as if he was something to eat.

The heart-breakingly handsome stranger looked up, his curious eyes the color of the Mediterranean Sea, made her stiffen as they pierced her own. He gave her a small smile, walking away from a preoccupied Zack without another word. Zeta jogged the remaining yards to the carousal, stepping up on the platform next to her brother."Stop running away!"

Zack cringed slightly, and gave her an apologetic look."Sorry."

Zeta nodded, letting it go."Who were you talking to?"

Zack dropped his voice dramatically."A _stranger_."

"What did he want?" Zeta asked, looking back at the young man's retreating figure.

"You!" Zack teased, laughing at his own joke.

Zeta rolled her eyes, as the carousel slowly started spinning. It was obvious that she wasn't getting any straight answers from him right now. Maybe later. She clutched onto a gold pole to stabilize herself from the spinning sensation, admiring her pearl purity ring as it caught the lights making it glow an icy rainbow. She could not help but feel as if someone was watching her. She tried to shake of the horrible, obnoxious feeling. It was eerie.

Zack started hooting loudly, whooping as the carousel spun faster and faster. Zeta clung harder to the pole, trying to block out the annoying, bell like music. The fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up, like she was shocked with electricity. She allowed herself a tentative look back. She turned her head slowly, her eyes locking with a pair of oceanic ones, the same that she had seen earlier.

He was standing without the help of a pole for his balance, his feet planted securely on the shiny gold platform. He was dressed in a black trench coat, a shocking contrast with his bleached, almost snowy white, blonde hair. He was wearing black, leathery gloves, his fingers wrapped around a small Bic lighter, his mouth parted by the burning cigarette.

He looked about twenty, two years older than herself, with a strong, muscular form. He was surrounded by his peers, mostly men, and a few beautiful young women, they looked like they were the cause of the staring sensation that she had felt earlier. She blushed, and snapped her head back to the front, mortified by the sound of loud, raucous laughter that followed her gesture.

She only wanted to go home as soon as she possibly could. When this ride was over, she was pulling Zack off of his metal horse and dragging him home, kicking and screaming, by the belt loops of his Levi's. She hoped that he would go nicely and quietly. She could hear the large, menacing group whispering behind her, the sound of their voices, unfortunately, were not drowned out by the horrid music. She had a feeling that she was the object of their discussion.

She looked up at the sky in a silent, pleading prayer. She was scared, her knees quaking from fear. The large group was intimidating, beautiful, but intimidating. They looked like bad news. She knew that you weren't supposed to judge a book by its cover, but this cover was pretty obvious. Finally, _finally_ the stupid ride stopped, and she did as she planned, yanking her little brother off of his fake aluminum pony.

Her prediction was correct, he complained."Hey!" He cried out."Did I do something wrong?"

"No." She answered simply, leading him through the crowd."We're going home."

"Why?" He whined, totally bemused.

"I don't feel good." She lied, tugging her white sweater tighter around her body.

"Oh." Zack murmured quietly, surrendering to her. Zeta was glad that she had won him over.

The fine hairs on the back of Zeta's neck stood up again, and she could not shake that feeling. They had walked quiet away from the loud, noisy carnival, it's bright lights fading in the distance. Zeta twisted her neck and her head spun back. It was the blonde boy, walking slowly several yards behind them, his footsteps muted even on the gravel.

Adrenaline pumped through her Zeta's veins and she picked up her pace. Th man didn't even notice her, his eyes were dead-set on her little brother. What did he want from him? Why did he have that vicious, drooling look as he stared at little Zack. She would protect her brother at all costs. She looked back again, but strangely, the man had vanished.

Zeta frowned, could it possibly have been her imagination? It probably was, but the mist of doubt did not rise, the sensation that someone was following her did not go away. She prayed softly again, and her brother took notice."What's wrong?" He asked in alarm.

Zeta kept a steady pace in the darkness, flashing him her most bravest, fakest smile."Nothing."

Zack changed the subject like weather."Race you home!" He shouted, breaking off in a run.

"No!" She shouted. But he did not listen. He rushed forward into the alley way they had taken on their route to the carnival boardwalk. It was fine in the daylight, but when darkness fell, one could not know what might be lurking there.

Se dashed after him, shouting his name. Her only response was a high, blood-curdling scream."Zack!" She screamed, throwing herself into the alley.

By the dim light of the full moon, she could see the faint outline of her brother, someone's hand wrapped around his neck. She got closer to them, knocking into the kidnapper."Let him go!" She shouted, tugging at his hard arm. It felt like it was made of steel.

The arm pushed her down, hard on the gravel. The tiny rocks left small cuts on her palms and legs, tiny drops of blood oozing out. The large male figure stopped, as if sensing something, and dropped to one knee in front of her. He brought his face closer to hers, and she stifled a scream with her gasp, it was that same man she had seen talking to Zack on the carousel, the same one that had been following them earlier."Zack! Run!" She screamed, and the boy took off in a hard dash.

The blonde male was on his feet with the speed of lightning, his silver hair catching the moonlight. He grabbed Zack and locked his arms around him, throwing them both on the ground. Zeta rushed to them, trying to pry the stranger's fingers off of her brother. "Let him go!" She screamed."Let him go." She heard the audible snap of teeth, and she gasped as realization began to sink in.

She had read about them in stories. She had seen them in movies. They were only fictional characters only existed in fictional worlds. Not here. Not in Santa Carla. Not in California. Not in the U.S. Not in the world. Not in the _universe_. But there he was, that beautiful, yet frightening, dangerous being whose icy eyes were melted into fire.

A vampire.

He ignored her pleadings, trying to get an exposed patch of her brother's neck."Wait!" She shouted."I know what you are!"

The dangerous creature paused, cocking his head, his icy eyes shooting into her own."What did you say?" He growled in a low, musical voice.

Zeta's whole body shook as she glanced at the bottomless fear in her brother's eyes, still in the arms of the hungry being."Y-you're a v-vampire."

The blonde threw back his head and laughed, the beautiful, yet nauseating sound echoed and bounced off of the alley walls. He grinned, exposing his sharp fangs."What makes you think _that_?"

Zeta swallowed hard, trying to rid herself of the bitter taste."You're not real." She whispered. "You don't exist."

The blonde ran his tongue over his bottom lip. He approached her slowly, dragging Zack with him, cornering her against the wall. "I'll show you how real we are." He paused, inhaling her brother's scent."Your brother smells delicious" He cocked his head. Would you like a demonstration?" He laughed again, his perfect lips parting to expose his venomous bite.

Zeta remembered something that her mother used to say. 'There's always a way out, even when it seems hopeless.' There has got to be a way out of this one. Zeta's mind spun with memories of history facts that she learned at school. She could think of many times when it seemed hopeless for those people, but they made it; and somehow she would too.

Zeta dropped to her knees in front of the beautiful monster."No! Please! Take me instead!"

The strange being dropped her brother in surprise, arching one shapely eyebrow."You?" He scoffed."You realize I could finish him off, and come get you for dessert?"

Fresh tears spilled from Zeta's eyes, still on the ground, clutching at his long black coat."Please." She begged in a pathetic little whisper.

He grinned slightly, amused."Why should I?"

"Because he is my brother." She responded quickly."I know that that doesn't mean anything to you, but he means the world to me, and my parents, please, please I _beg_ you, make an exception."

"Vampires don't make exceptions." He replied cruelly, his tone flat and dead."We _feed_."

She reached up and grabbed one of his cold gloved hands. He looked like she struck him with her touch."I'm begging you. Take me instead. I don't care what you do to me, just please let him go."

He cocked his head at the sky, the soft glow of the moonlight outlining his pale, perfect features. He pondered awhile, his hard, breathtaking eyes snapping back at her without notice."_Take you instead_." He repeated, watching her hold her breath."You know I could destroy you, or let you live a long, hellish life."

She nodded, her heart thumping loud enough for him to hear it."I k-know." She stammered, icy fear gripping her mind with thoughts of all the horrible things he could do to her.

"I've never seen anything like this before." He whispered, all trace of amusement gone."No one fought for the life of their loved ones when faced by me. They all ran away." He looked at her curiously."You're the first."

She could only look at him.

He reached out and his iron hand gripped tightly at her throat. He pulled her up roughly by her neck and slammed her against the brick wall."The boy goes." He growled venomously."But you belong to me."

She nodded, her hot tears falling down on to his gloved hand.

His hate-filled eyes tore into her own."Don't cry." He ordered, without a sense of compassion. He turned to the darkness."Marko!" He shouted. There was movement as another vampire, the one she had seen him with earlier, stepped out of the shadows, the moonlight glinting off of the fangs of his vicious smile."Take the kid home."

Marko closed his eyes and inhaled, opening them again slowly. The blonde vampire reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt."Touch him and I'll rip you to shreds."

"Calm down, David." Marko chuckled persuasively, unwrapping David's hand from his shirt. He turned to Zack."Come, child."

"Zeta!" Zack cried, heavy drops cascading down his cheeks. He took a step forward to her, but David growled, crouching in front of her. Zack yelped and ran after Marko, staying as far away from him as he could.

Zeta broke down again, sobbing hard. David waited until they were out of sight, before forcing her up by the neck again."Zeta." He smiled venemously."What an unusual name." There was no comfort in his tone, as he parted his lips, his grin growing wider and wider until it wasn't a grin, but a horrifying barring of teeth.

It was a face so frightening, so unlike the beautiful, perfect face she saw at the carousel. Zeta gasped.

And fainted.

**Merry Christmas! Review please.**


	2. Slave Girl

**Thanks for reviewing guys, please don't forget to review this chapter too. Thanks! Review please. Merry Christmas!**

Zeta groaned, slowly opening her eyes, trying to adjust to the dim light of the glowing fire. She did not know where she was, or how she got there. Her body ached and her eyes burned, she winced as she rubbed fiercely at them, only to make them redden even more. Zeta pulled herself up into a sitting position, groaning as the blood rushed to her head, blackening her vision and making her dizzy for a moment. When it cleared, so did the thick, confusing fog in her brain.

Memories of last night raced through her mind, forcing her hands to fly up and cradle her face. It was too overwhelming, every neurological vessel of her head was urging her to scream, but she clenched her teeth and kept her mouth shut. She remembered seeing an angel, then seeing that angel turn into a horrifying monster. She remembered that monster trying to destroy her brother, she remembered begging for his life, and she remembered him owning her.

She was property now, nothing more, and hopefully nothing less. She was glad to survive long enough to see another day, but she could never be sure how long she would last before she turned into dinner. Goosebumps replaced her smooth skin and the hair on the back of her neck rose, causing her to shiver. She knew she must keep a brave face, even though she did not want to be brave.

Zeta propped an eye open, scanning her surroundings. It looked like some twisted hotel, with dark, burgundy wall paper and cracking mahogany floors. Broken chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their remaining crystal fragments glittering in the limited sunlight. Zeta put her hands on the bed, surprised at the soft material that they sank into. Curious, she stood up to look at it, surprised to find out that she was sleeping on a smooth, flat boulder with a sheer canopy draped over it and the thick white fur of a skinned polar bear as her mattress.

Zeta was no tree-hugger, but was not polar bear hunting illegal?Feeling ludicrous she realized that if David could kill a human so mercilessly, he would not give a second thought about destroying some poor, large predator. A predator turned into prey. Feeling numb, Zeta stumbled off of her rock and into the open space, broken pieces of oak wood furniture littering the outskirts of what she guessed to once have been a grand ballroom.

It was eerie, to be the only one in the large cavern-like hotel. She knew it was her chance to escape, but she also knew that she would not get very far from a pack of angry, betrayed vampires. She was property, a slave to a beautiful master with eyes that glittered like the ocean. Feeling sharp movement and the rustling sound of clothes behind her, Zeta stiffened, stifling a scream. A soft hand landed on her shoulder and she gasped loudly. Another hand was laid on her other shoulder and the person...or _vampire_...spun her around to face them.

"Ssssh!" A beautiful, bell-like voice scolded her cautiously."You'll wake them!"

Zeta was surprised to find a beautiful young girl, not much older than herself, looking frightened as her green eyes blazed into Zeta's dark brown, almost black ones. Zeta shut her mouth and froze immediately, eyes wide and head nodding like a fool. The girl relaxed a little bit, releasing her. Zeta let her shoulder's slump, while the perfect girl's remained erect and thrown back.

"Where am I?" Zeta whispered, still frightened but a little bit calmer knowing there was another female around. Maybe she was property too, like herself.

The girl ran a hand through her long, pretty brown hair, pushing the massive curls out of her eyes."You're still in Santa Carla. David brought you home last night, saying something about how you might be useful." The girl raised her eyebrows as if she could not see that how that could possibly work."You're in our home now, in this _'Vampire Hotel',_ I guess you can call it."

Zeta blinked at her, shaking."I've got to get out of here."

Zeta turned to follow the sunlight, where she guessed the exit would be, but like lightning, the girl's hand reached out and grabbed her upper arm in an unbeatable bond."You can't!" She hissed. It made Zeta angry, who was she to tell her what she could and could not do? The girl continued, reasoning earnestly."Look at it this way. Try outrunning a pack of large, male vampires, angry vampires. You don't even have enough daylight to make it out of Santa Carla before they wake up and chase after you. Vampires don't forgive once betrayed." The girl leaned closer, about a foot from Zeta's face."He owns you." She whispered dramatically.

Zeta wriggled away, and the girl let her. Panicked, she rushed towards the light, disappointed to see the sun already setting over the Pacific Ocean, wondering had she really slept the entire day?"They'll be waking up soon." The girl repeated in a whisper from behind her, she too, was watching the sun sink into the ocean as if she was sad to see it go. Sad to have something so beautiful mark the beginning of another long night of something so horrible.

Zeta snapped her head at the ridiculously pretty girl."What about my brother?" She muttered nervously, chewing on her bottom lip."Is he safe?"

The girl nodded."Yes." Something about the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice persuaded Zeta, and she felt assured, giving the girl a nod of thanks.

The girl turned away, but Zeta called her back."Who are you?"

"Property." The girl replied bitterly, without looking at her."Just like _you_." Her voice wavered until it was barely above a harsh whisper. She turned slowly to face Zeta, a look of sadness etched into her eyes."Damned to long nights of horror, until Max is destroyed, then will we will be released." She exposed a developing fang."Star."

Zeta frowned, confused. She leaned forward to hear better."Come again?"

"Star." The girl repeated, her eyes twinkling."That's my name."

"Oh." Zeta gawked. The pretty perfect girl even had a pretty perfect name to go with it."That's lovely."

Star smiled."Thank you."

There was a roar above them, followed by a rumble and a thwack, with loud, masculine voices shouting at one another. Both Star and Zeta tensed immediately, with Zeta cowering behind Star's tower-straight posture. Zeta was impressed the way Star held herself, looking up at the ceiling with a look of anger mixed with courage. Her feet were planted shoulder width apart, her fists securely on her hips, and her chin defiantly up in the air.

"Dammit Paul!" Zeta heard someone roar."Keep your fucking arm out of my face!"

There was another crash and the ceiling shook. A loud giggle followed."Chill Marko, chill."

There was another crack and then there was a low growl."Shut the fuck up both of you!" Zeta recognized that roar, and she was afraid that it was forever imprinted in her memory, for she knew it very well. The voice was groggy, as if he just woke up. Zeta snapped her head towards the ocean again, only to see that the golden sun was just a fiery speck over the black water, stars appearing in the purple skies of dusk.

Zeta breathed deeply in an effort to calm herself as the voices grew louder, closer. She had barely even noticed a small boy come to stand in between her and Star, clutching at Star's long, spidery hand, his bottom lip trembling. Zeta wished she had someone to cling to also, as she braced herself for what might be waiting for her when she met him face to face.

Marko came tumbling down first, she remembered those huge, bulging eyes clearly from last night, dragging someone with him whom she assumed to be Paul. Both were laughing and snapping their teeth at each other, pretending to fight. A tall, solemn man came next, watching the two shove each other on the ground with a look of serious disgust in his eyes, as if he had better things to do than spend his time with these '_mindless_' idiots. His leather jacket looked too tight, but Zeta guessed that it was in an effort to make his well-ripped muscles bulge even more.

Zeta swallowed hard, glad that the three large men did not even glance at their frightened, pathetic little trio, that no one noticed the shivering human that hid behind Star's tall, proud back. They watched in silence as the three menacing vampires laughed, shouted, and hooted at each other, seemingly glad to have awoken from a long day of hanging upside down in their sleep.

*His footsteps were soft, completely inaudible to a human, but she realized he was coming by the way Star's neck snapped so suddenly in the direction of the stairs, her glowing brown eyes gazing expectantly at the top as if waiting for him to appear. Ice slid down Zeta's back as she saw him stick one black boot out of the shadows, stepping into the dimming light, a cruel, maybe even permanent, smirk stitched across his face. He walked down the stairs slowly, his eyes glued on to his brothers.

Zeta was glad that his gaze was not directed at her. Perhaps he would soon forget her like people forgot an old shirt that they left lying in the bottom of their closet. Who was she kidding? He averted his gaze so suddenly, his icy blue eyes stabbing her own so unexpectedly, it made her jump and whimper softly. It only made his smirk grow, as he cocked his head to the left.

"I see you have met our new member, Star." He purred seductively, not even glancing at hrt as he approached Zeta. A single white fang poked out of the corner of his mouth, and he ran his pink tongue over it, making it glisten in the firelight of the candle chandeliers.

Star did not say anything, only positioned her body between David and Zeta, as if attempting to shield Zeta from his invincible form."You're _not_ making her a member." She growled."You can't force this nightmare upon her."

That elicited a loud, thunderous laugh from David, his voice rumbling against the cave walls. His hand reached out quickly and wrapped around her throat, causing her to choke from the lack of oxygen and the surplus of fear."Who's gonna stop me?" He whispered the threat, his mouth inches away from her own, before releasing her. Star drifted to the floor, rubbing her sore neck. Zeta was touched that Star had at least _tried_ on her behalf. Zeta knew that if the shoe was on the other foot she would have not had the guts.

David stepped over Star, his eyes locked on Zeta's, the vicious, thirsty look not leaving his eyes. He pulled Star gently up by the arm, without even looking at her, as if it was his silent version of an apology. He forgot about her a second later. Allowing himself two more long strides, and David was found towering over of her.

Zeta swallowed hard, wincing. David arched one snowy eyebrow, amused at her reaction."Welcome, Zeta." He spoke slowly, mysteriously as if he had thousands of dark secrets buried deep in his soul."How was your sleep?"

Zeta's bottom lip trembled."F-fine."

It was obvious that David was enjoying her discomfort, as well as the others who had gathered around to witness her fear and humiliation. With one liquid movement, David's gloved hand was roughly gripping at her chin, turning her face from side to side, examining her skin as if she was some rare, unusual species. Zeta felt as if she was a slave put up for auction, and that David was an interested buyer; though Zeta could not imagine him having even a sliver of interest for her when he had someone as striking as Star.

She was right, he didn't. He smiled at her wide-eyed expression, exposing his fangs, the color of sea-foam. His boys laughed at her from behind him, their raucous howls surrounding her. Still terrified, Zeta shifted her gaze to her feet, blushing a few deep shades of crimson. She looked up and noticed David lick his lips, _still_ staring at her.

"So much blood." He commented on her blush, eliciting another howl of laughter from his brothers, the only somber ones besides Zeta were Star and Laddie, her arms wrapped protectively around the child's shoulders.

David had a mysterious glint in his eyes as he looked towards the small sliver of ocean again, or what was visible of it from the cave opening. The last embers of the dying sunset bathed his blonde hair, giving it the impression of white, the color of the glittering Santa Carla beaches, his eyes mirroring the blue of the ocean, his pale skin given a peachy tint from the light as it embraced his body. Zeta thought it was beautiful, a Greek god in an ancient oil painting by da Vinci.

He turned so suddenly again, cocking his head as his eyes scanned over her. The angelic illusion died out with the sun, returning the *attractive* horror with the starry night."Lets take her to the boardwalk, boys." He growled, running his tongue over his bottom lip slowly, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his long black coat."I'm hungry." The way he accented the last word, Zeta doubted that he was craving food.

**Thanks so much for reading! Might be a little OOC for Star, she was a ditz in the movie. :)**

**But please don't forget to review. Thank you!**


	3. Meet Me at Midnight

**Happy New Year! Thanks so much for your reviews, guys, the make me very happy. :D**

Zeta waited for his command in silence, her eyes glittering over the group of beautiful, perfect monsters, all were so pale they could blend in with snow. Zeta wrung her small, thin hands nervously as she watched the parade of grim sex idols make their way outside. Star nodded for her to follow, and only _then_ could Zeta send a command from her numb brain to her feet as she followed the pack of hungry vampires in shadow.

Four black, shiny motorcycles gleamed in the pale white moonlight, the bright stars and moonbeams hitting the waves reflected off of their mirrors, parked in a neat row by the vertical drop off to the ocean. It looked like the motorcycles were prepared to pose for a commercial photo shoot for some popular auto magazine that her dad likes to read.

David approached his first, his moon-white hair a shocking contrast with the rich opal of the motorcycle's sparkling paint. His right leg sailed over the top of the bike, and he sat down gracefully, looking at the rest of his gang as if granting them permission to do the same. It was obvious he was the leader, the way they hung onto his words, and followed his every order.

The small child climbed up next, helped up by the collar of his jacket by a long-haired man with stone-carved abs who lifted him on to the seat behind him. As if routine, the child wrapped his small arms around his black leather-jacketed waist. The five seated vampires glanced expectantly at Star. She let out a long, obedient sigh, climbing onto her designated position behind David's back, flinging her slim arms around David's chest.

He grinned as the four started up their large, dangerous motorbikes, engines roaring, almost as intimidating as their owners. Zeta prayed that they had lost interest in her, like I child that looses interest with a new toy after a week of playing with it. She prayed they would let her leave and go home. That was a lie. David flashed her one of his dazzling grins.

"Get on." He ordered, jerking his head towards the golden-blonde, curly haired Marko.

Zeta gave a nod, scared, making a big circle around David on her way to Marko's bike. David revved his engine as she passed in front of him, making her jump, while he and his lackeys exploded into boisterous laughter. Zeta shut her eyes, humiliated. Only the child remained sober, not even paying attention, staring sadly across the ocean; and the beautiful Star, who shot her a look full of so much compassion that Zeta was overwhelmed.

Zeta straddled the bike behind the still chuckling Marko, and gripped him tightly around the waist."Took you long enough, Girl." She heard him mutter.

David pushed on the gas, the petal literally to the metal, speeding off along with Star, so quickly that Zeta thought their taillights would soon vanish in a matter of seconds. Marko sped off next, jerking Zeta back roughly against her seat from the velocity, clinging to him tighter as she slammed her face back into his granite back. Marko laughed and hooted.

"You okay, Girl?" She could _feel_ him grinning.

"Yeah!" She called over the roar of the engine.

He laughed some more.

Zeta heard another bike start behind them, probably Dwayne's, and another bike soon after. Marko easily caught up to David and Star, remaining just a few feet behind him, as if showing respect. Zeta had never experienced anything so literally breath-taking as a motorcycle ride. Her stomach flip-flopped and her eyes were sinking into her skull. She doubted that this macho gang was following the speed limit.

They raced down hills, across highways, and finally slowing down when they came to town. Still about twenty miles over the speed limit, but at least they weren't soaring at 100 mph anymore. Zeta sighed with relief when it was over, as the cursed boardwalk came to view, and the boy appeared to be parking on a wooden ramp where other bikers left their motors.

Marko screeched to a stop seconds after David, earning more stares from enchanted passerbyes, as if the sexy, intimidating biker gang wasn't the center of attention as it was. David climbed off of his bike, not even bothering to lock it up for he knew no one would dare touch it. He helped Star off with his arm snaked around her slim waist; Zeta noticed Star try to hide a a painful grimace. The last two bikes pulled up, and Laddie sprinted off into Star's open arms.

"Had fun, Girl?" The curly-haired boy, Marko, grinned at her, his white fangs just barely visible.

Zeta blinked, what was this 'Girl' nonsense? She had told them her name."Yeah."

"You were scared." He stated.

Never show fear."No."

He laughed, seeing right through her pathetic little bluff, dragging her off of his bike with a tight grip on her upper arm.

She noticed David leaning against his own, watching her with narrowed, crystal eyes, scrutinizing her every movement. She dared to _look_back at him. He continued his discomforting stare, unflinching, as if she was some shiny object that both amused and entertained him. He took one, small step towards her, and she shrunk back. His minions burst out laughing, and he smirked.

"You've gotta loosen up, Girl." Marko chuckled, poking her arm."We don't bite."

The long-haired blonde, Paul, laughed as if it was the funniest thing on earth, and David actually _smiled_, as if the group possessed some _hilarious_ inside joke that they were letting her in on. Star watched them warily, glancing at Zeta almost protectively. David crossed his arms, his pale pink lips were now set back into his usual, trademark smirk.

"You can go do what you want, for the time being." He spoke slowly, casually, as if they were old friends."But you better meet us at the carousel by three in the morning." He dropped his voice into a low, threatening whisper."If you try to pull anything funny, we'll catch up with you, and this time, you won't survive." He smiled again, must be a personal record, but there was not comfort to it, only more cruelty."And when we're done with you, we'll go back for your family. How does that sound?"

Zeta gave him a quick, assuring nod."I won't run away." She stated.

David nodded slowly, his eyes still narrowed, but his expression satisfied."I know." He muttered sarcastically, leaning away from her.

He turned away, his signal for all to beat it, as he took off in the direction of a large crowd, parting it in half like Moses and God did with the Red Sea. His 'back-up dancers' following after him, like three big Rottweilers on very short leashes, their tails tucked between their legs whenever he bothered to address them personally. Zeta turned her attention to Star, who looked preoccupied, biting her lip and searching the crowd for somebody.

"Who are you looking for?" Zeta asked curiously, taking a small step forward and shoving her hands into the pockets of her denim jacket.

A tiny smile blossomed across Star's pretty face."A boy named Michael."

Zeta decided not to bother Star with her 'relationship', especially since she was supposed to be David's girl. It was like playing with fire; only that fire was ice cold and burned you from the inside out, draining the life out of you in a few, very slow minutes. Zeta walked across the wooden planks, finding it hard to believe that she was had been here twenty four hours ago, with not a care in the world. Oh, how drastically her life had changed since then.

There was a bulletin board in front of some comic book store, and since she had nothing better to do to pass the time, she stopped to read it. Missing signs full of grim, black and white pictures of disappeared loved ones. Have you seen this child? Call this toll free number, 1-800 etcetera etcetera. Zeta stumbled back and fell in the sand as a picture of herself was put up there, staring down at her.

Have you seen me? The sign pleaded, and Zeta felt like choking. She felt dizzy and nauseated, her hunger finally taking it's toll on her. It took every ounce of her strength and will _together_, to push herself up from the garbage-littered, sandy floor. She needed to get away from all of those pleading, lost faces, especially her own, missing only since yesterday.

She stumbled into the comic book store, maybe some funny, ridiculous comic book would soothe her mind. She blinked in the bright, fluorescent light, shuffling to the nearest stack of glossy comic books set up on display. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a blonde boy arguing with two brunettes, showing off his uncanny knowledge for the Superman comics.

The brunnetts seemed to be arguing, _reasoning_with the blonde, who looked about five years younger than herself, but he was refusing to listen."Take this one, and pray that you won't have to call us."

That deep voice was so recognizable it was scary. It didn't look like it could have belonged to the boy, his voice too macho for his fifteen, give or take, years. A wrinkled, red bandanna was tied around his his head, tousled puffs of brown hair peaking out from underneath it. His dark eyes were tired, yet alert, and that was when she recognized him.

"Edgar?" She called in disbelief, wrinkling her nose.

Both Edgar and Allen's heads snapped in her direction."Zeta?" They sailed in unison.

The poor blonde looked confused, clutching a vampire comic, his glittering blue eyes jumping between the boys and back to Zeta.

She couldn't believe it, she had to say it again."Allen?"

Edgar scrunched his nose."What the hell are you doing in Santa Carla? You're supposed to be in Washington!"

Zeta frowned."What do you mean what am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ guys doing here? We thought you were in Arizona."

"Well you thought wrong." Edgar retorted, forgetting the blonde kid and stalking over to her. Allen followed suit, his hands jammed into the pockets of his faded Levi's.

"This is so weird, man." Allen murmured, staring at Zeta as if she was some screwed up science experiment that fell on the floor.

Yes, they were literally long-lost cousins. They're mother was her mother's sister, and after a major dispute between the parents of both parties, the Frog family moved away, and hadn't spoken to each other in over four years. Zeta thought she would probably never see them again, and now that she did, it felt like somebody knocked the wind out of her.

"Dude." Was all Allen could say.

"What the hell?" The blonde was repeating over and over.

"Get lost, Sam." Edgar threw back over his shoulder. His attention was unbreakable from Zeta."Why are you here?" He asked, not rudely.

"On vacation." She replied.

The two brothers burst out laughing, _hard_."Your parents sure know how to pick them hot spots." Allen wheezed."Welcome to the murder capital of the world!"

Zeta grew uncomfortable, realizing how true this was. Edgar picked up a vampire comic and chucked it at her. She caught it."Think of this as a survival guide." He explained, suddenly sobered.

Zeta put it back."I already know."

The two brothers instantly became ultra alert. Edgar stared at her suspiciously."How? Are you one?"

"Not yet." She replied sadly."But I might be."

Allen's hand snapped out and reached for her wrist."She's got a pulse." He informed Edgar, who relaxed a great deal from the knowledge of this tiny fact.

He leaned forward, his eyes dead locked on his cousin's."Did you 'disapear?' Did they take you?"

She nodded the affirmative.

"You have to tell us where they're hideout is, Z, right now." Edgar commanded, reaching across the counter for a pad of paper and a pencil.

She never got the chance."Zeta!" Her name was called from the outside in a deep, beautiful bass.

The boys snapped their heads to the doorway. David was leaning against it, his eyes locked on Edgar's, the tension as thick as the suspicion."We're leaving now, Zeta." He lured her outside, as if she wouldn't go _without_ his seductive persuasion.

He let out a low growl at the Frog brothers, but neither cringed. David's steel hand ghosted around her upper arm, dragging her outside. He did not say anything, but his teeth were clenched as if he had something insulting on his mind. He did not notice how tightly he was digging his gloved fingers into her skin until Zeta gasped loudly, and he relaxed his grip, his hands leaving angry red marks on her light skin.

She watched him inhale, too terrified to speak, as his face twisted into a disgusted expression. It made him change his course suddenly, as he dragged her to a vendor. He bought her a cinnamon churro, paying the three-dollar price with a crisp ten dollar bill."Keep the change." It sounded like he was threatening the man, who was quick to comply.

He handed her the greasy churro. "Eat." He ordered. "Your blood smells horrible." He practically forced it down her throat, but she ate it greedily."I don't think I can wait until Marko brings food."

When the churro was gone, Zeta finally mustered enough courage to speak."You said three. It's before twelve."

"Change of plans." He responded, frowning, his eyes dead-set ahead."Star's screwing around with us."

He towed her onto the motorcycle platform where the other boys were already waiting.

**Happy 2011! Review please, I hope you guys liked it. :) Thanks so much.**


	4. Stars in the Night Sky

**I wanted to thank you guys for your reviews, they really build up my day when school breaks it down. :) Thanks again, and enjoy!**

Zeta struggled to keep up with David's long, fast strides. He looked seriously preoccupied, his serene blue eyes darkening into several shades of a pressured indigo on the edges of his irises. He looked back at her occasionally, as if his ridiculously tuned ears were not enough to hear her obedient patter, needing the reassurance of his flawless vision as well. David's looks expressed annoyance at her slower pace, not aware that she was almost jogging to stay close. But nevertheless, it made her breath catch in her throat, seeing a reflection in his eyes as if he was imagining his fangs on her neck.

David's gloved hand made contact with the side of his head, sliding a cigarette out from behind his ear, pressed securely against his soft, blonde crown. He shoved it into his mouth, pushing it to the side with his tongue, digging into the deep right pocket of his long, black coat. He did this all without stopping, in silence as he retrieved a shiny Bic lighter, snapping the cap off and bursting it into a tiny orange flame. It illuminated his face for a second, then snapped it back to the dim light of the carousel behind them, as he abandoned the small red lighter back into his pocket.

Zeta almost didn't notice the sandy sidewalk underneath their footsteps giveaway into the sturdy wooden boards of the motorcycle ramp. He strolled on to it like he owned it, the other bikers stepping away in awe and respect, intimidated. He smirked with the cigarette-less corner of his mouth, but he made eye contact with no one. Zeta noted that in another life, David would have made one _spectacular_ body guard. But in real life, he was the _menace_ that probably would not be destroyed even when faced by the entire United States Secret Service.

David approached his bike, nodding at the other gang members who were already there, waiting for him in slouching positions, sprawled all over each other's bikes. Marko winked at her, smirking, while Paul practically drooled; which was no surprise for the fact that he drooled at every female organism that crossed his wake. Dwayne remained stony and silent as usual. David's eyes flickered over his lackeys in visible disgust, clearing it away with his commanding air and presence. Zeta noticed that when he opened his mouth, the group straightened their spines in a respectful, vertical position...as did she.

"Come on." David ordered, effortlessly striding over the leather seat of his tall bike. Without so much as a dismissive glance at Zeta, he dipped his head at Marko's bike, and Zeta immediately got the message.

She straddled it gingerly, wrapping her sore arms around Marko's steel waist. Marko threw her a wolfy glanced and grinned."Hang on."

Oh boy.

She gripped him tightly as he started his bike, following after David's who was already several yards ahead of them. Much to Zeta's surprise, the boys did not drive like stunt doubles for action movies this time. They drove slowly, making Zeta wonder if her head was delusional as they appeared to bid to avoid hitting innocent pedestrians in their wake. To Zeta's horror, their bikes were aimed straight at the boardwalk's tiny plaza, and a few feet before them, David was already racing up the sandy, concrete stairs. Zeta stifled a gasp and buckled her arms into a tighter seal around Marko's relaxed waist.

Zeta wasn't sure what shook her harder, the adrenaline rush, or the bouncing impact of Marko's rubber tires on the rigid cement as they bombarded up the steps, only barely missing a young woman in a yellow Blockbuster t-shirt, who calmly side-stepped her death, as if she was used to these sort of things. They were heading straight to a painful-looking wall forcing Zeta to clench her teeth a little too hard, her widened eyes refusing to shut. At the last nanosecond, Marko jerked the wheel, twisting the tires to the left with his handle bars, grinning and whooping as they brushed past the crushing concrete wall, centimeters apart from their dooms. Or at least Zeta's doom.

Marko pumped a fist into the air and hooted in victory, sending tufts of his long, curly hair flying into her face, forcing her to grimace and spit some of it out of her mouth. She silently thanked God that she had survived, so miraculously. Marko slowed down to a leisurely crawl, steering a cut path to David who had already shifted his gears on 'park.' Marko half-turned in his seat to get a better look at her face."You okay?" There was an explanation point after everything he said, apparently his adrenaline high had not worn off yet.

She nodded quickly, her head feeling detatched from the rest of her body."Uh-huh."

Marko transformed his gaze back to the steering gear, smiling contently as he pulled up next to David, kicking the metal stand of his bike out and shifting his body weight to lean his shiny motorcycle on it in a vertical position. It was a few moments, a few _seconds_ really, until Paul and Dwayne pulled up beside them, never failing to amaze Zeta with their precise movements and ability to have their long, messy hair fall into the right place at exactly the right moment, granting them the well-deserved illusion of being supermodels instead of murderers. Zeta wished with all her heart that the latter was not true.

She focused her black lenses on David's blue ones. His face had his usual, charming smirk on display, but his eyes held something else. Curious, Zeta traced his gaze; not surprised to realize it ended at Star. Star was with some boy. He was cute, Zeta supposed, with his fake leather jacket, which was currently a popular trend, and his tousled, curly brown hair, so intense it was almost black. She was more surprised at the way Star looked. She looked happy, and there was a certain light in her eyes that Zeta had only read about in books. A vision in her sparkly pink Gypsy skirt, ankle length, matching her white peasant blouse perfectly, she seemed to glide along next to Curly Boy's long, slow strides.

Zeta marveled at her, open-mouth. Star was a perfect person, so very much unlike herself, but why could she not shake off the feeling that she was luckier than Star? Zeta wondered if it was her imagination, or did David let out a low, angry growl as his eyes locked on Curly Boy's relaxed frame, strolling slowly on the wooden planks of the boardwalk, deep in their fascinating-looking conversation, completely unaware of the dangerous world around them. Zeta found herself pitying Star, aware that her happy moment was soon to end.

David harshly twisted his bike key, slamming it into the ignition. Marko gave her a nod, indicating for her to hold on again. Zeta dreaded the moment as she braced herself for the violent jerk of the motorbike as it was put into motion. The group of six, including the small child, rode only several yards away from their previous destination, using unnecessary amounts of speed, screeching to a stop right in front of poor Star and the bemused Curly Boy. Was this the Michael that Star had been searching for? Zeta wondered, remaining mute in the background.

She noticed a flicker of annoyance flash across Michael's face as he glanced at David, who grinned maliciously in return. Michael deliberately avoided David's stomach-churning gaze, shoving his fists into the pockets of his faded Levis', his eyes splashing over Star in awe. Star, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to scream at David, like the simple sight of him got under her skin. Zeta was impressed with her uncanny ability to remain calm and obedient on the surface, only inside was the reality of the thunderstorm of hatred that was just waiting to be unleashed.

Star looked like a captivated animal, just trying to break free, a dieing fire in her soulful eyes, David's power over her dragging her down, hopelessness brewing just below the surface of her starry eyes. It bothered Zeta that she could do nothing to release her, realizing that she too was trapped. Her eyes flashed to Micheal's face, who was still staring at Star as if she was an angel that was accidentally knocked from his own personal heaven; only _this_ time his look of mystic awe was mixed with a strong concern for her.

Zeta glanced back at David, who's amused gaze was still locked on the 'happy couple', putting the velocity of his power and cruelty to the test."Star." He called her name softly, like a hypnotic siren, beckoning her submission. Being a simple human, Zeta would have fallen for that immediately; but Star was stronger than that.

Zeta felt the wind knocked out of her, and receive gusts of surprise instead from the radical force of Star's unusual behavior. She completely ignored David, much to Michael's triumphant grin, as she climbed onto a small red motorbike that was parked next to the railing. The phrase 'how dare she' flickered unspoken through David's sapphire eyes, appearing at lightning speed, and vanishing without a trace as he gracefully recomposed himself.

"Star." He tried again, his voice still casaul with only a hint of a threat just below the surface.

Star looked at him this time, the look of fear and disappointment unmistakable in her eyes. David smirked slightly, only to complete it with an angelic smile."Where are you going?"

Poor, unfortunate Star looked like he slapped her."For a ride, this is Micheal." She cocked her head at Micheal, the dimming light returning to her eyes when she met his gaze, saying his name like it explained everything.

Zeta was no Jasper, but she could sense David tense and grit his teeth, the sound of his muscles sliding over his long coat were loud enough for even her to hear. Star heard it too, and for a moment Zeta thought she saw triumph flicker in her eyes, as she bundled up the end of her long, pastel-pink skirt and slid a bare, perfect leg, over Micheal's bike."Lets go." She ordered calmly. Micheal's eyes seemed to taunt David as he straddled his beat up red bike, no where near as nice as David's.

It amazed Zeta for how long and how well David could remaintaut, keeping that articifial, angelic mask glued to his face, even when he clenched his teeth with an audible snap."Star." Was all he said, his voice sickly sweet. He wore a smile that if any outsider saw, they would have guessed he was smiling from love, but that was just like David, blending hate and love together until the two blurred and smeared like a couple of watercolor paints.

To Zeta's surprise, she found herself expecting Star's fist to make contact with David's smirk, judging by the look she gave him. But it did not fall back on David, only fuelling his amusement. Poor Star gave Micheal a deeply apologetic glance over her shoulder, gliding gracefully off of his bike and straddling her body over David's black BMW-brand, throwing an arm casually over his neck. Zeta began wondering if she would choke him.

She locked eyes with Micheal for a second, who gave her a questioning frown, and Zeta snapped her head away as David revved his engine, the other three bikes of his minions roaring to life."Do you know where Hudson's bluff is, over looking the point?" He asked, the corners of his mouth curling into a dangerous smile, his eyebrows raised in a dare.

"I can't beat your bike." Micheal muttered, picking up easily on David's hint, sliding his hands back into his pockets, looking away from the haunting group of vampires and their pathetic, shivering pet-human.

"You don't have to beat me, Micheal." From her position behind Marko, she could feel the curly-blonde's knowing smile spreading into a Cheshire cat grin, as their leader David kicked the metal bike stand back up."You just have to try and keep up!" David roared, speeding off into the inky, velvet night.

Oh no, Zeta thought, as Marko's bike jerked violently after David's.

**Let me know if I should change anything, review please.**


	5. Thin Line Between Courage and Stupidity

**Thank you all so much for the feedback. It truly means a lot. Also, sorry for not updating in forever, you know, school.**

Zeta shut her eyes tightly, so securely that it felt like she was locking them in place. Her teeth were clenched together rigidly, and her arms were solidly banded around Marko's slender, chiseled waist. He gave it his all as his foot slammed down on the gas, petal to the metal, yanking her body forward in an impossible-to-resist gravitational pull.

He screamed psychotically, along with Paul, both continuing to whoop in eagerness and excitement of what was to come. Zeta's anticipation did not match their airy, jubilant ones. There was an impossible knot in her stomach, and she felt sick to the core. Her dark hair was plastered across her sweaty forehead and her lifeless eyes darted forward to Star's pastel pink Gypsy skirt, shiny, artificial diamonds glittering in the headlights of Marko's bike.

She felt ill and nauseated, as she realized that the group of careless, flamboyant vampires would soon possess two human lives. Though she hadn't even spoken to Michael, she was a bit worried about him. Maybe, jut maybe their was a sliver of possibility that she would survive, but not Michael. The vampires had no need for a male object of entertainment, and his life would probably end quickly, but nevertheless, extremely painfully.

She threw her head back, piqued at her hair's persistant talent to always run into her eyes; and searched for Michael's rakish, crimson motorbike. Sure enough, he was speeding right behind him, his rubber tires spititng sand and gravel into the air as they neared Hudson's Bluff. His face wore an expression of deep concentration, his jaw set in determination, and his eyes secured on his target.

David.

You don't know what you're doing; she wanted to scream to him. As if in defiant answer to her silent plea, he accelerated, ignoring Marko's bike as he passed them, riding on with David. Zeta watched over Marko's stubbornly high-up shoulder, squinting as the dust flew into her eyes. The ocean was coming into view, dark and dangerous...like David, the cheerful twinkle lights of the pier long before disappeared behind them.

She was lost in thought, but Marko found her. He roughly jerked his bike to the left, inches, Zeta later realized, from the drop off of the cliff. Zeta couldn't help but scream when she saw how close they were to sailing over. Her human eyes miscalculated the real distance of the ocean, underestimated the approximate closeness of it.

Marko grunted at her shriek, letting Zeta know that she had better stop, or he might silence her himself. Zeta snapped her mouth shut, watching in glad-to-still-be-alive amazement as Marko jerked the bike to the left and rode slowly to pull up next to David, Star's body pressed to his back and a pleased smirk gracing his pretty face. Dwayne and Paul followed suit.

Oh no, poor Michael. Zeta almost exclaimed. He won't make it, he'll sail right over. But no, by some invisible force, God for all Zeta knew, he twisted the steering wheel and the bike jerked roughly to the side, spinning in obscure angles and toppling from underneath him. His legs were twisted under the weight of the metal and he lay on the ground, clutching his side and groaning. Zeta bit her lip and shot a glance at Star, who looked lie she was about to cry.

David threw back his head an laughed maniacally. Paul giggled hysterically along with him, Dwayne remaining grim and silent, and Zeta felt Marko's chest rumble in an entertained chuckle. Micheal ruptured his eyelids apart, hot, red anger ablaze in his dilating pupils, trying to locate David by the sound of his voice, blinking at the bright headlight of the motorcycle that was shining blindingly in his face.

That only amused David more, and he continued laughing. Zeta hated him at the moment, which surprised her, since she was slow to anger, much less to hate. But how could someone, human or vampire, be so cruel? She could not understand, and she didn't even try to, but her glare matched Star's and Michael's as she stared at David's artificially-angelic smile.

As if feeling her gaze, David's unpredictable, ridiculously marine-colored eyes snapped her gaze, splitting her angry glare in half, like an atom of a nuclear explosion. Zeta almost screamed again from the evil and hatred that was radiating from this angelic-featured creature, her breath caught in her throat, and she looked away; thinking she heard him mutter a cocky, satisfied 'That's what I thought' in his musical voice.

Michael pulled himself up from the ground, his eyes landing on David, exchanging fire with fire."What the hell are you doing? Just you! Come on! Just you! Come on! Just you." He roared his fists were quivering from invincible rage.

But it was _David_ who was invincible. Zeta knew that, and it appeared so did Star, who was desperately trying to warn the reckless boy before he got himself killed. Then he did something that made Zeta sure that Michael would never see another sunrise. He raised one of his twitching fists in the palpable night air, and swung with all his might.

Their was a crunching sound as it made contact with David's marble nose, and Zeta gasped, almost in pity, as he pitched his face away. He returned it to his previous position in a nanosecond, the only difference was that his smirk grew larger, almost to big for his angle-carved face. He raised his eyebrows in amusement, and painted his mouth into a grin. "How far you willing to go, Michael?" He spoke so slowly, hissing quietly, that it sent shivers down Zeta's spine, not in a good way. "Hit the rock box, buddy." He shrugged with his pencil-accurate eyebrows.

David's steel hand wrapped around Michael's fragile shoulder, gripping it firmly and pulling him up roughly, as if warning him that Michael shouldn't want to take him on. It would be lethal. David cocks his head to Michael's motorbike, still lying in the dirt, wheels spinning and coughing sand and gravel into the midnight air. Michael looked reluctant, but he pulled the bike up and got on anyway.

Zeta felt Marko's bike lurch forward and they were off again. She recognized where they were going right away. That stupid cave. She hated going there, it was as if they were about to throw her into an endless pit of darkness and forbid her to see the sun again. Marko parked his bike next to David's, sliding gracefully off of it.

Zeta remained there, watching David and Star as she descended into the black cave, her curly head disappearing into the abyss. David turned, suddenly, but slowly, twisting his body on the heel of his boot. He met Zeta's eyes again, cocking his head as if curious about her. He watched her through slits, taking in the bike, her, the bike, and her again.

"Get up!" He ordered."Now." Like a deaf and dumb idiot, Zeta remained stationary, staring at him in frightened, peculiar wonder.

Apparently David didn't have time for this. He jerked his steel body forward, his long black coat making a swishing sound as he reached for her. He gripped her upper arm so tightly it hurt. She yelped in response, but David didn't seem to care as he dragged her off of the bike, her knees slamming on to the dusty, rocky ground; she was sure that she scraped them.

David pulled her up, his teeth clenched. The silver moonlight tinted his platinum hair with streaks of ice-blue light, making him that more attractive. That more menacing, to Zeta. Roughly, he shoved her into the cave wall, pointing at the entrance with one gloved hand. She climbed in obediently, rushing to get away from him so fast, that she almost toppled down the steps an on to the floor. She was sure he was smirking.

When she reached the bottom, she reflexivly made her way to Star, who was clutching Laddie's shoulders in a reassuring hug. Zeta felt like a child, she wanted her mother. The three listened silently, as the four male vampires taunted the arriving Michael up in the world above. Zeta noticed Star's lips moving over and over.

"They'll kill him." She whispered, more to herself than Zeta."They'll kill him. They'll kill him."

Zeta choked out the obvious. "Why are they doing this?" Listening to her stage-whispered echo throughout the hotel-cave walls.

"Because they're ampires." Star spat, surprising Zeta with her arms, that were quivering with anger."Blood-thirsty vampires." She signed and pinched the bridge of her nose, changing her mind."No, they probably won't kill him."

Star began to cry, sitting down on the floor. Zeta dropped to her knees in front of her, patting her shoulder. "That's good, Star. If they won't kill him, that's good."

Star watched her through teary, hazel eyes, blinking the moisture back."Shows how little you know."

Zeta's face twisted into confusion."What?"

"They can do so much worse." Star replied, tragically shaking her head.

It dawned onto Zeta, breaking out in realization like the sun over the horizon. Her horror was painted on her face, expressed by a series of frowning and grimacing. She stared at Star, blinking hard. Zeta felt tears well up in her eyes and spill ovr the brim, trickling down her cheeks. Star glanced at her, shaking her head in a frantic warning for Zeta to stop. She dragged a sleeve across her face and hid her tears, just as David glided past her, Marko strolling casually behind him, his hands in his pockets.

Michael slouched forward, bravely keeping pace with David, laid back as if he belonged here, as of this mob of secret vampires were no more dangerous than Zeta. Zeta thought Michael wasn't brave, she thought he was stupid. If he had a piece of mind, he would have turned David down at the boardwalk, and made it out alive. In the last half-hour, he almost died, and his chances of living were getting slimmer by the second.

Yes, there was a fine line between courage and stupidity.

This was one of them.

Zeta turned her attention to David.

"Not bad, huh?" He was saying, sauntering grandly into the center of the dim room and throwing his hands gallantly into the air. "This is the hottest resort in Santa Carla about eighty-five years ago." He added, boasting its eclat; cocking his head and letting his bangs fall into his eyes. "Too bad they built it on the fault." He smirked at this, as if amused by having the effort of building the hotel go to waste. "In 1906, when the big one hit San Francisco, the ground opened up, and this place took a header right into the crack." He leaned forward to Zeta, grinning and purposely exposing his fangs. "Now it's ours." He shrugged with his eyebrows when she winced, puling away back to Michael.

Marko jumped on the podium, he did it so fast that Zeta thought he was flying. "So, check it out, Mikey." Exchanging a cruel, loaded smile with his buddy David.

Zeta felt a wave of exhaustion filter through every fiber in her being, and she allowed herself to lean on Star, struggling to k her eyes open. Star barely noticed, as if unbothered by the extra pounds suddenly draped over her shoulder. "Marko, food." At this, Zeta's eyelids flew open, and she staggered back, gasping in fear and pinning her body against the corner, as far away from David as possible.

Three of the four critical vampires burst into laughter at her, roaring, chuckling, and giggling. All except four Dwayne, who stood stony and annoyed at Zeta's constant yelping. Burning in shame, Zeta hid her face behind her collar, noticing Michael's amused glance jump from her, to Star, and back to the hazardous gang members, waiting for the leader to sober. "That's what I love about this place." David continued with one last injection of chuckles. "You ask, and then you get. Appetizer." His voice rang loud ad clear, echoing off the cave walls. "You'll like it here, Michael."

It didn't look like Michael wanted to stay here.

Like magic, from behind his back, Marko produced several plastic bags with red Chinese symbols scrolled onto the front. "Feeding time. Come and get it boys."

David deposited himself on a worn-out wheelchair, his version of a Lazy Boy, and watched with great interest as Marko unpacked the packs and packs of white take-out boxes. "Chinese, good choice." He commented softly, studying the small packages. "Over here, bud." Marko looked up and tossed one to him, which David caught with such accuracy that would burn up a major league baseball player.

He glanced at Michael. "Guests first." David added with mock chivalry.

"No." Michael replied flatly, his arms folded across his chest; but Marko thew him a box anyway.

"What, you don't like rice?" He asked innocently, pretending to be dense. "Tell me Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?" He threw back his head and laughed. "Come on!"

Michael shrugged, proceeding to open his package and shovel food into his mouth. Zeta's stomach growled, and she looked away, clutching at her abdomen. If David heard it, his smirk told her everything. Zeta lowered her self onto her knees, sitting on the ground in a useless attempt to find a more comfortable position to lock her body in.

Something was done that she didn't expect. The curly-haird blonde stared at her, his eye twitching. He noticed her stare back, and he turned away, digging through the plastic bags again. He spun around at lightning-speed, but traveled to her at human pcae. He held out a small white package with red Chinese houses illustrated on the sides, offering it to her. Zeta gaped at him, blinking like a fool.

"Hope you like rice." Marko muttered, shoving it into her arms when she was too awed and terrified to reach for it.

David looked like somebody slapped him.

"T-thank you!" Zeta called feebly after him as he walked away.

Marko stopped, throwing her a look over his shoulder. "Sure. After all, you're ours now." He shrugged as he proceeded forward.

That stung.

It wasn't enough for David, however. "How are those maggots, Michael?" He was addressing Michael but his eyes were on her.

Michael's face twisted with horror, and he let his food-filled mouth fall open. "Huh?"

David tried again, this time his attention was devoted to Michael. "Maggots, Michael. You're eating maggots. How do they taste?"

Michael threw the box down, spilling snowy white rice all over the carpeted floor, which was worn and bare in some places, since the vamps didn't bother taking their shoes off. Zeta frowned, wondering what he saw in their besides rice. She kept chewing on her spoonful, feeling like it won't digest. She snuck a tiny glance at her box of orange chicken and rice.

There were maggots crawling all over the chicken. Zeta screached, spitting out her mouth-full, kicking the box away from herself as far as she could. Star growled quietly from beside her. "Leave them alone." It didn't come out as confident as she was aiming for.

David shot her a reprimanding glare, pushing her back into her place with his icy blue eyes. Star muttered something about 'mind games' but she did not protest anymore. Zeta stared at the ground, frowning. It was just rice. She spilled a perfectly clean box of rice and chicken. Zeta squinted, blinked hard, and shook her head. Nothing. Just rice. But she could have sworn...

"Sorry about that." David spoke breathlessly, as if he actually meant it. "No hard feelings, huh?"

Poor Michael couldn't stop his haggard breathing. "No." He replied, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Why don't you try some noodles?" David suggested, shoving him his take-out box.

Michael glared at David. "They're worms." He stage-whispered.

David pretended to frown, cocking his head back at the box of supposed noodles. "What worms?" He asked, starting to grin. "They're only noodles, Michael."

"That's enough!" Star ordered, but she was ignored like a bookend on a shelf.

David's voice suddenly dropped to a dramatic level. "Drink some of this, Michael. Be one of us." He produced a fancy glass bottle decorated in shiny jewels from the side of one of the wheels of his black chair, blending in with his gloves and overcoat.

Extincts told Zeta that that wasn't a simply a bottle of vodka.

Star seemed to have the same idea. "Don't!" She pleaded like a desperate woman, sliding in front of Michael. "You don't have to, Michael." She reasoned. "It's blood."

Michael grabbed the bottle out of David's leather-gloved hands, rolling his eyes at her. He snorted. "Yeah, sure."

Star looked murdered, retreating in bitter surrender.

Stupid, stupid boy.

The world began to spin. Zeta was panicking as if she was the one who had her mouth on the bottle. She felt nauseous as she watched Michael drink it, and she rocked back and forth in her fetal position on the ground. David started cheering, Marko and Paul following suit. Zeta felt her heart topple and her stomach crush, a vomiting sensation sweeping over her.

Star noticed her, propped her up and dragged her outside. Away from this nightmare.

At this moment, Zeta wanted David to die. And it scared her. This wasn't like her at all, wishing the end to people, to these monsters. She refused to live a life like that, she vowed to herself that this was her last night in this cave, in this dark world. When the fist light began to filter over the ocean, she would run away. She would get as far from Santa Carla as she possibly could.

Even if it killed her.

**Thank you for reading, please tell me what you think.**

**LUV,**

**Spanish Sunrise**


	6. Drink

Star propped Zeta up on one arm and all but dragged her up the stairs and out of the cave. Zeta's head spun as she thought about what Michael just did. Blood, he drank blood. If she stayed here long enough, they would either drain her of the necessary bodily fluid, or worse, shove the bottle down her throat and force her to drink it – to become one of them. Zeta didn't want to. She just wanted to go home, to escape this never-ending nightmare. She would rather they killed her than force her to kill someone else.

Star climbed out of the cave then turned around and helped her out. Together, they walked down towards the sandy shore, Zeta now outright leaning on the gypsy girl. Just a few feet from the wave's reach, Star dropped Zeta, sinking to the sparkling ground beside her, sighing deeply. Despite her shock, Zeta could appreciate how beautiful the Pacific was; the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline no matter how many times it's sent away.

The ivory moonlight glittered over the midnight water, diamonds dotting the inky black sky above the two girls. Zeta lay back in the powdery sand, still warm from the July sun, and closed her eyes, listening to the crash of the toppling, foaming waves. She could feel Star's eyes on her, scrutinizing her behavior. She had been right to bring Zeta out here; the scenery had relaxed her enough to almost forget about her plan for a moment. She made a vow to herself to run away at first light.

She opened her eyes to find Star still staring at her. "Are you okay?" She asked, in a tone a concerned mother would use with her sick child.

Zeta nodded, watching Star curiously, before suddenly breaking the silence. "How old are you, Star, really?"

Star shoved her hands in the sand, sprinkling some of the dust on her toes. "I have been with them for eight years. Never changing, never growing old." She looked up, the ocean reflecting in her glossy eyes.

Zeta sat up watching her, her brow furrowed with worry. "Is there a way out?"

Star shook her head, dropping her gaze to the sand again. "No – well – one." She threw her head back, gazing at her namesake in the heavens. "But that's impossible." She whispered, seeming louder than the ocean to Zeta.

Zeta didn't want to ask, not sure if her stomach could take it. As she watched the moonlight reflect against Star's pale features, giving body a silver lining, Zeta felt like this person was the closest friend that she would ever have, and she felt compelled to let her in on the plan, in case she wanted to escape as well, for it was selfish to leave her and Laddie behind. Zeta rolled on the beach, fixing a crouched position in front of Star, licking her dry lips.

"Star?" She called, wanting her full attention. The hauntingly beautiful gypsy turned her head, her curls bouncing in the breeze. "What if we ran away? You, me, and Laddie…we could…"

"Where would you go?" Star interrupted, accenting the you in her sentence. "Where _he_ wouldn't find you? You can run but you can't hide, and with David, you can't even run, he'll catch up to you."

Zeta was taken aback with how Star was just giving up. "Well, we have to _try_."

Star shook her head, pushing her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees. "He'll kill us." She stared longingly at the invisible horizon, the ocean blending with the sky. "There is one thing David can't stand – it's betrayal. And if you leave - he _will_ kill you."

Zeta shook her head, rising from the sand and dusting thousands of tiny rocks off of her jeans. "At first light." She told her confidently. Zeta was a cowardice, but there were times when you _must_ be brave, when you have no other choice. "I'm leaving. And you can come or you can stay, but either way I'm leaving. I don't care if he hunts me down and kills me, as long as he doesn't make me into one of _you_."

Hurt flashed across Star's face, and Zeta immediately regretted for putting it like that. "I'm sorry." She mumbled towards Star, who pretended not to hear her.

"You're being stupid." She stated bluntly, all without looking at her.

Zeta gazed up the coastline to the night lights of the board walk, a couple miles down the beach. "I know."

There was loud boisterous laughing outside of the cave and Zeta snapped her head in that direction, mirroring Star's movements as both young women watched the four – now apparently five – young male vampires stumble out of the cave, a very dazed Michael leaning heavily against Paul and Marko, a stupid – and ridiculously proud – grin on his face. Zeta – as a reflex – tried not to draw attention to herself, quietly trying to pour sand out of one Converse sneaker, the best she could while wearing it.

She stared at David, his impressive form magnetic, who had his broad back turned to her - something about him – his appearance, how tantalizingly dangerous he was – was hypnotizing, and Zeta found it to be a struggle to look away. Beautiful, dangerous. That was how she would describe him. He was the devil with the face of an angel. He, with his highly acute senses, undoubtedly sensed her staring, and spun slowly on the heel of one leather boot to face her.

Zeta shuddered back into her senses, blinking rapidly as he raked her with his cold, cerulean gaze. His ocean deep eyes were glowing with silver light, sparkling like the stars, his light containing no heat, cold and beautiful, just like the stars. Zeta lifted her gaze heavenward, comparing silver orbs with the diamonds in the velvet sky. He truly was beautiful, Zeta admitted not for the first time, his gaze so strong and overpowering, she could walk on its wavelength and not fall.

She dropped her eyes to him again, but he was no longer facing in her direction, his back once again turned, strolling casually away from her, his straight, platinum hair catching sparks of silver light in its spiky blonde peaks. "Beware of his mind games." Star's symphonic voice, suddenly closely at her ear, made Zeta jump, turning her own translucent towards the beautiful gypsy.

She was met by the young woman's retreating back, her hips swinging from side to side, making her long, soft pink skirt look like a bell that swished back and forth, moving further away from her. Zeta took heed of her warning, but it wasn't stopping her from leaving this damned place of fallen angels. Throwing one last longing look at the dark, secretive ocean, Zeta followed her up the beach and back to the cage, hoping that it was the last time, as the rumble of glossy motorcycles died out in the distance.

_Five hours later. _

Zeta crouched in a tense position at the entrance of the cave, as still as the silent motorcycles the boys had hidden behind several large, thorny bushes upon their return. Drunk and wobbling slightly, they had come back hardly an hour ago, sauntering into their abode with Paul singing a butchered version of an MJ song with his slurred speech. Star had abandoned Zeta to put Laddie to bed, and she was alone to meet the intoxicated young men, rowdy and boisterous as usual.

Zeta felt a sharp sting of indignation when David, who had undoubtedly noticed her standing with her back against the platform, strolled past her as if she was just one of the statuettes that crowded the corners of the grand lobby. She had never felt so _low_, like she was nothing. She was a _thing_ to him, not that she had expected anything more, but it only fueled her desire to leave this goddamned place. David opened her eyes to her new position in life, and Zeta didn't like it – not one bit.

She was ready to go, like an Olympic track runner, she braced herself to begin her long escape mission out of Santa Carla. She was waiting for the light, which was her starting signal to go. Vampires hated the light – or so she heard – and as soon as the first fiery rays of daybreak kissed the eastern horizon. She wished she was a sun goddess, so she could make it grace day quicker.

Despite it being summer, Zeta's breath came out in small clouds of condensation, and she shivered in the morning ocean breeze. She felt safer in the light, and a great deal of it was due to the fact that six vampires were sleeping like babies, and wouldn't wake up until almost eight hours later. She had a decent head start.

There. Her anxiety had come to an end. The horizon flared a crimson red – Zeta swallowed – like blood, and at that moment, feeling as if she was in a great race with time, she threw herself out of the cave, tumbling in the sand. When the spinning sensation stopped, Zeta hauled her sore body off of the sandy floor, and as soon as her head cleared after her ungraceful tumble, Zeta hit the ground running.

She had never ran so far or so hard in her life. Adrenaline raced through her veins and butterflies tickled her insides as the mental clock in her head continued to tick, counting down time as she calculated how much she had until he came to get her. When the initial thrill of her new found freedom faded, Zeta's body willed her mind to slow down, and she collapsed into a slow job, looking for a road to get off of the beach, it was getting to difficult to trudge through the sand.

It dawned on to her, just as harshly and brightly as the July sun that burned the back of her neck. She was alone, broke, and with nowhere to go. And even worse, if she wasn't back by the time they woke up; she would have four _angry_ vicious killers hunting for her. But it was too late to turn back, her mind had been set and there was no going back.

What a fool, she scoffed at herself.

Slipping one slim, pale hand into the back pocket of her stone-washed Levi's, she pulled out a flattened piece of leather folded in half – her bloody wallet. She opened it, remembering the last time she looked at it was 48 hours ago, when she took Zack to the boardwalk on that wretched night. She shook out the contents of the paper-thin money-keeper on the sand. All that landed was a quarter.

Yes, a quarter.

Zeta stared at it. Well, _that_ was conveniently helpful. With hopeless sigh, she sunk to her knees on the beach. It was 8:00 AM, the sun was rising with the heat, she looked a fright, she was penniless, and she was hungry. Zeta was overcome with anger, and out of her temper, almost threw her stupid wallet into the ocean. But she stopped at the last second, and not because of feeling guilty for littering on a public beach, but because there was a family photo in it.

Zack, mom, dad, and her.

She affectionately ran her fingertips over the glossy, ink-sticky photograph that was wrinkling along the edges. She would never see those people again, and it broke her heart. As Zeta was returning the wallet to her back pocket, she heard the unmistakable sound of sweaty joggers and boyish shouts. Curiously, she turned her head to look behind, hoping that it wasn't who she thought it was. He was too early.

No, it was…much to Zeta's surprise….her cousin Edgar.

"Zeta!" He shouted again, as he neared her, he dropped on the sand beside her, gasping and panting.

She noticed the sharp stake in his hand.

"Edgar." She greeted him with broken smile.

His questioning gaze raked her in a scrutinizing way that made her feel uncomfortable. "They let you go?" He inquired, his voice thick with disbelief.

Zeta snorted ungraciously. "No. I'm running away."

Edgar arched an eyebrow, sharing mutual thoughts about his cousin's stupidity. "You'll never make it. They fly. They're faster than hell. They –"

"Don't tell me anymore of what they are!" Zeta snapped at him, fear, anxiety, and fatigue taking their tolls on her.

He raised both palms in the air as if to show surrender. "Sorry." He muttered, sounding indignant. "I'm just saying that it probably wasn't the best way to do it. Where are you going?"

Her cheeks reddened sharply, but not from the sun burn. "I…." She felt so ignorant for not thinking of that sooner. "…don't know." She looked into his judgmental, hazel eyes. "But anywhere than her. I _hate_ Santa Carla! I hate it!"

That's when she started to cry, and it only fueled her humiliation more. She was terrified, she was tired, and she no longer had a family. If he found her with his family, he would kill them too. She reminisced back to the night he first took her, he said that if she tried to escape, he would kill them too. The only thing she had succeeded in this foolish game was to endanger the lives of the family she vowed to protect. Stupid, stupid girl.

Edgar looked shocked at her tears. He could slay thousands of bloodsuckers, but when it came to such a degree of publicly displayed emotion, he was clueless, and she was only making him nervous, Zeta understood that. Awkwardly, he patted her shoulder. "I'll help you. I promise."

Somehow, Zeta believed him, and she felt a little bit braver, and she leaned forward and kissed his check with sisterly affection, surprising him more. It was awkward when she pulled away, though, and felt even more silly. "What are you doing?"

He lifted the stake proudly into the air and smirked with self-satisfaction. "Slaying bloodsuckers, the usual, Allen's on the other side of the beach, looking for clues, trying to figure out who the damned leader is. We are dedicated to a higher purpose." He smirked again.

Zeta stared longingly at the outline of civilization, just a mile away. She had to go. She needed to get a taxi, or on a bus, and hit the road. She was terrified out of her wits by those vampires, she could just scream. "How are they?"

"Your family?" Edgar shifted on his knee. "Planning a funeral."

Zeta's breath catch in her throat. "But it's been less than two days! They gave up on me already?" Her situation could not get any worse, now she felt even more alone and unwanted.

He nodded at her, refusing to look her in the eye. Zeta spoke again. "Edgar, I need money. Can I borro-"

Before she had a chance to finish, he was already pulling out his wallet, removing a small wad of cash. He slapped it down in to her palm. "All I got." He said apologetically.

Zeta looked down at the greenbacks, clutched tightly in her hands. There was probably enough for a bus fair to L.A.! Was it all from the comic book store? She looked at him. "Thank you so much."

He rose from the floor, brushing white sand off of his baggy jeans. "We'll find stop 'em, Z, I swear to God." With that, he turned away from her, throwing his stake like a rifle over his shoulder, and jogged down the beach.

Alone again.

Zeta could not help but feel rising guilt as she lifted her body off of the sandy shore, continuing her long, treacherous hike up the coast out of Santa Carla. She felt disloyal about running away, which was absurd since the male vampires hadn't done anything to earn her trust in the first place.

It was fiver thirty when she made it to a town several miles outside of Santa Carla, and it worried her because the sun set around six, and the sun had already left a fiery trail of pink and purple across the sky as it was setting over the ocean. She wasn't far enough where they wouldn't be able to find her, even though she had tried to walk through sand and surf to mute her scent, her trail was nevertheless fresh.

Zeta turned on a rather deserted street, save for the few night bars that were going strong already. She pulled her sweater tighter over her body, trying to keep out the breeze that was bouncing off of the ocean. Goosebumps rose on her skin, but it was not from the evening chill, but of that much-hated sensation of being watched.

Zeta snapped her head back. No! He was too early! However, it wasn't David she found, but something equally frightening. Three young men in leather motorcycle jackets were strolling behind her – following her – their hands in their pockets and sadistic grins across their faces. Zeta lurched forward, picking up her pace.

But it was too late. Thin, scrawny arms wrapped around her waist and one of the men's breathing was loud in her ear. She struggled against him, her screaming cut short as another man's hand clasped onto her mouth. She dug her nails into his flesh and tore at his clothes, but her efforts were nil as the third man struck her hard across the flesh.

One of them had a knife.

Foolish, stupid girl! It was more than likely safer back in the cave with those vampires than out here in God-knows where with God-knows who. The knife tore at the fabric of her clothes, and Zeta froze to avoid it on her flesh. The sun was nearly gone, and the stars were coming out to play, which means that they probably already knew that the human was missing.

Tears fell from her eyes as the hand on her mouth was replaced by the slobbery lips of one of the men, grinding his body disrespectfully against hers. That's it then, rape. And maybe when they were done, it would turn into murder as well. She closed her eyes as a fourth person appeared, with platinum blonde hair that glowed silver in the starlight, and resigned herself to her unfortunate fate.

However, it didn't come. There was a blood-curdling scream as the man holding her released her, and two more deathly cries of fear and hopelessness followed as she staggered forward. She did not look back; she started running, running as fast as she ever did in her entire life. It was aimless, and for what seemed like hours, but she made it back to the beach again, wishing to avoid any chance of running into them for a second time.

When she reached the edge of the ocean, to Zeta's dismay, the sun was almost gone, disappearing velvet blue ribbon of the sea. It was officially dusk, only a hint of crimson-gold daylight kissing the sharp edge of the horizon, threatening to disappear in a few short minutes. Zeta zipped up her baggy hoodie, hoping not to draw any attention to herself had she met anyone else on the beach.

This escape plan was the most stupid thing she had ever done. Her stomach turned over that if her family had not yet left Santa Carla, they could have been dead by now. Zeta had no time to dwell on such macabre matters for once again she had that annoyingly useful instinct that once again someone was following her. It was exasperating, why was she always being followed?

Zeta turned her head back slowly, and she almost passed out on the sand. He found her. David was a few yards down and away from her, his hands in his pockets, his crystal-white hair catching the remaining light of day, which was practically an orange glow on the distant horizon. Zeta at first thought she was hallucinating from her painful lack of water, but his calm stroll was gradually increasing in pace.

Zeta snapped her head forward.

What is one to do during situations like this? Zeta doubted that anyone would know, so she did what came naturally, with a deep breath, and ignoring her dehydration, she hit the ground running – hard. She knew that she would never be able to outrun him, but she had to try, and there was no way she was going down without a fight,

His soundless footsteps suddenly became audible, and Zeta didn't have to look back to realize that he wasn't walking anymore either. He was gaining on her, she could feel it, and she knew that he was sadistically playing with her – mocking her – for he could have caught up to her long ago.

Apparently, David had grown tired of chasing her. She was taken off guard as his hard body slammed into her back, knocking her off of her feet, tumbling face flat on the sand. They collided with him on top of her, sand flying into her mouth and nose, causing her to choke as the wind was knocked out of her lungs.

Zeta didn't even bother to scream, she knew that a.) no one would hear her and b.) if they did, how would they fight off a vampire? Zeta opened her eyes and looked up at him. The anger on his face was from a whole other world, as if out of a different dimension – not human. Zeta's breath caught up in her throat, but not only from fear.

He was a truly beautiful creation, invented with unworldly DNA; but Zeta supposed it was necessary as a trap for weak humans like her. His skin was so pale, that his body appeared to be glowing in the moonlight. Every fiber of her being was screaming 'be afraid', but Zeta was numb to any emotion as his laser-like vision raked over her body sharply, burning her.

She could feel all of the power he had over her as a low growl vibrated in his chest. The anger froze, he held a supernatural look in his eyes as he stared at her, seeming so far away and as if he was looking through her at something unbelievably cosmic. She felt like he didn't belong here, like he was too perfect for this world, so not like others - but like a gorgeous alien that was hypnotizing her.

However, the hypnotic spell was broken by his velvet voice. "I told you not to run away." He rasped, pulling himself abruptly away from her and yanking her sharply off the sandy ground. "I told you what would happen!"

It was frustrating how when he touched her, it felt like she wouldn't be able to walk away even if she tried, he was that magnetic. However, a stubborn question on Zeta's mind soon made itself known. "Why did you come after me?" She whispered softly.

His face twisted like he was in pain for just a second, but then cleared back to stone-chiseled normal. "Because you belong to us." His hand lashed out and gripped her painfully by the hair, dragging her until her ear was inches away from his mouth. "Don't you forget it!"

Zeta didn't understand why he wasn't tearing her apart piece-by-piece as they spoke. Wasn't he angry? Yes, she had seen it in his eyes. But why then? Perhaps in the future, or in the past, this beautiful monster had felt love or even compassion towards someone, and Zeta was daring to hope that perhaps that mercy was showing through.

"What are you going to do?" Her whisper was so quiet that Zeta herself had barely heard her speech, but he with his ridiculously supersonic hearing had unsurprisingly heard it.

"What did I tell you I was going to do?" He retorted, his eyes reflecting the darkness of the ocean. "If you ever ran?" He moved away from her. His move was like magic, instead of walking, he seemed to ghost from one point to another.

She began to fear again. "Are they dead?" She asked, knowing that he would understand that she was speaking of her family.

He looked almost embarrassed when he shook his head sharply, his short white bangs brushing across his forehead. Zeta reached for his arm to regain his attention, but he wrenched away, as if she disgusted him. He wrinkled his nose, and Zeta understood that part of the reason might be her blood, she hadn't eaten or drank since last night's Chinese food…she must have been revolting.

"I'm sorry." She meant it.

Again the disgust reappeared, he didn't believe her, and she couldn't blame him. She hung her head in guilt and shame, not expecting him to answer, however, he took the silence on a whole different level – he thought she surrendered. Zeta was ready for him abducting her again, but not for how he decided to do it.

When he took her, she was straddled on his back the next time she opened her eyes. She looked down at him, her arms reflexively wrapping around his alabaster neck. His eyes were hard and his lips were pursed in a kiss, an overall expression of determination and concentration painted across his sharp features.

Zeta expected him to run, and she shut her eyes to keep sand from slipping through. Sharp gusts of wind hit her, and Zeta could not shake of the sensation of floating in air. She dared to open her eyes. They were in the black, midnight air, and Zeta gasped loudly, clinging tightly to him. They were _flying!_

It would have been transcendental if it wasn't for her remarkable phobia of heights. They were so high in the air that she could barely see the beach, a white strip of sand far beneath them. Zeta stared up at the sky, the stars seeming to be closer than ever, and prayed that her luck would hold out and she wouldn't die by tumbling to her death, after that she'd been through today. David's soft hair caressed her face, and as she looked at him, she couldn't help but wonder whether or not he really _was_ extraterrestrial.

"Calm down." He grunted in annoyance when her arms had grown chokingly tight around his neck. Zeta loosened up a little, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He smelled so good, sharp and clean like the ocean waves beating against a rocky shore.

But there was also something else. When her hand had brushed against his shoulder, it was sticky and a little bit damp, even through the cloth of his trench coat. She touched it with her elbow, not daring to release her hold from around his neck for fear of falling. He let out a low growl and Zeta immediately kept her wandering elbow to herself.

But when the wind flapped up ruffling his hair and hers, his blonde strands entwining with her black ones, his jacket uncovered a bit and it was enough for Zeta to see beneath it. He wore a black shirt that was ripped open by a long gash, and beneath it was the same story with his granite like skin.

It was cut open seemingly by a knife, and drying red blood had been oozing from it for at least half an hour. Zeta put two and two together, and once again was astonished by how unbelievably stupid she was. When that group of men had attacked her – the flash of blonde that she had seen – that had been David. The only reason she had gotten away was thanks to David.

She wanted to confront him when she recognized the lights of the boardwalk. Time had passed so quickly, flying with David was the same pace as flying on an airplane. He descended upon reaching the cave, and when his feet touched the solid rock, he all but threw her off. Zeta scrambled up, wincing as the gravel left tiny red marks on her hands.

If the smell of her blood had alerted him, he didn't show it. Instead he was already strolling to the inside of the cave, silently telling her to follow. As if she had any choice, if she wanted to live, she had better do whatever he wants. Zeta submissively followed him inside, gingerly stepping through the entrance.

The inside was completely empty of life; the others must have left to terrorize the boardwalk with their extravagant nightlife ways. David watched her the way a cat watches a mouse hole, as if calculating the precise moment to pounce. He pushed her down on a velvety settee, and himself sat down across her, crossing his long legs at the ankles and leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees.

Zeta eyed the cut, not daring to breathe, but she decided to risk it all for that question. "Why did you stop them?" Her whisper seemed to loud inside the echoey cave.

He smiled in a way to purposefully expose his fangs. Zeta knew that she produced the desired effect, for he threw back his head and laughed. Zeta grew increasingly uncomfortable as she observed his coarse behavior. She was afraid to become just another victim. She could already feel his venomous bite, infecting her blood and filling her veins with his poison.

"Because I wanted to kill you myself." His smirk disappeared as his lips parted into another laugh.

Zeta watched, horrified, abandoning her current, feeble bravery. "No! Please!" She begged. "I'll do whatever you want! Please!"

David stopped, staring at her beseechingly. In one liquid movement, he reached behind the unnecessary wheel chair and produced that horror-inducing sequined bottle that Zeta had seen Michael drink from last night. David's smirk grew against his soft-looking lips. He placed it gently on the small glass table between them.

"Drink."

**I'm so sorry for the wait, I feel terrible but life's been kind of hectic lately. I apologize if this chapter may seem a little weird/confusing but I tried. Thank you for reviewing earlier, and please don't forget to review on this chapter. They are so addicting. Hope you liked it, thanks for reading! :)**


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